Food

Happy new year! Many Japanese families have soba noodles on new year’s eve. We believe having soba on new year’s eve will bring us good luck. You know, soba is long > longevity kind of thing. We tried duck and leek (kamo-nanban) soba this holiday. On December 31st, I bought duck breast at a grocery store. It was $21@0.88lb (400g). First, I set Anova precision cooker at 58C (136F) degrees and leave the duck at the temperature for 3 hours. Duck should be put in a ziploc bag. ...

Happy Holidays! Every year on Christmas eve, I roast a whole chicken. Though an uncooked whole chicken alone is more expensive than a fully cooked whole rotisserie chicken sold at a grocery store, cost isn’t important on Christmas. Besides, it (usually) tastes much better if you roast one yourself. This year, I bought an organic whole chicken (4.2 lbs) at a nearby Whole Foods market at $19. Other ingredients: 3 carrots, 3 celery stalks and a medium-sized onion fresh herbs - thyme, rosemary (and sage this year) butter (25g) garlic 3-4 pieces olive oil (25g), salt and pepper On December 23rd or 24th, thyme and rosemary are in demand and tend to disappear from grocery stores. Last year, I looked for 3-4 grocers before I found rosemary. This year, I wasn’t able to find thyme, so I gave it a shot with this herb blend. The blend has mainly thyme, and a twig of rosemary and sage each. How convenient! I might want more rosemary, though. ...